The paradigm of healthcare is shifting towards ease of access to healthcare and telehealth is one of the major the driving factor. There are several examples that showed how telehealth has helped to improve patient care in many big hospitals. Take the example of the emergency department at Mount Sinai Queens in New York. Here the physicians are improving their expertise related to strokes by making use of real time video conferencing.
But if you thought that telehealth was only meant for large hospital campuses then you are completely wrong. Telehealth can be one of the most useful tools for small and medium size hospitals who want to provide better care to the patients.
Here is how telehealth can help small and medium sized set ups achieve this goal.
Better access to patients:
Patients fear a medical catastrophe if they fail to get medical treatment on time. Telehealth helps in resolving this issue in a big way. Small and medium size hospitals might have to take the tough decision of moving an emergency patient to a bigger hospital as they might not have a specialist attached to their medical facility. Now this is a high risk decision and at times the life of the patient can be at stake.
But if the small or medium sized healthcare set up is equipped with telehealth facility then they can easily connect with an expert remotely and provide emergency and intensive care services to the patient. It also becomes much easier for remote patients to get medical access at any time of the day or night. It is one the best ways for healthcare facilities to overcome geographic barriers.
Better health outcomes:
In their medical practice physicians come across so many cases where the cost of treatment incurred by the patient could have been less had the patient received treatment earlier. One important thing that you need to understand here is that it is not just about saving money. It is more about saving lives. Proper diagnosis and timely treatment can surely help in avoiding life threatening situations.
You need to check the reports in the Wall Street Journal which reports that an obstetrician in Georgia has invested in telehealth technology in order to provide better health care to women with high risk pregnancies. Due to this technology her patients do not have to travel long distances for expert advice. They can get the same in-house and this has helped in saving tiny lives.
TeleICU tools are being used in providing effective care to patients who are in critical conditions. ICU’s that are equipped with telehealth solutions can help in reducing complications in patients and it can also help in reducing hospital stays. Telehealth can be an important key to reduce the mortality rates of ICU patients.
Reduction in healthcare costs:
The Nemours Children’s Health System carried out a study which they presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. According to this study it was found that patients who had used telehealth for their sports medicine appointments saved around $50 in travel costs.
Telehealth is a huge boon to rural communities as well. It can help them save many dollars and can also reduce the risk of lost wages. They will also get better and timely healthcare.
Helps in overcoming shortages of healthcare providers:
At times we find that there is a shortage of specialists in certain areas. But if a medical facility has the right telehealth system then this issue can be handled with ease. Physicians and specialists can address to patient issues remotely with the help of telehealth system.
Explore the power of Doxiva- Doctor’s Intelligent Virtual Assistant:
Yes you are convinced that your healthcare facility needs a telehealth assistant. But you need to be prudent in your choices if you want to get the best assistance. Have you explored the many benefits of the Doxiva- Doctor’s Intelligent Virtual Assistant?
This web cloud based virtual care platform supports Asynchronous and Synchronous models of Telehealth. If you aim to provide the best healthcare in your small and medium size hospital then you must not miss out on the live demo of this artificial intelligence based virtual assistant. Connect with the experts of Doxiva for more details.
